Quarterback

Arizona State

6-7 242

Draft board overall prospect rank: #32

Draft board overall quarterback rank: #3

Overall rating: 81 (Borderline 1^st/2^nd rounder)

40 time: 4.84

Games watched: Arizona State/Missouri, USC/Arizona State, Boise State/Arizona State

Positives

·         Big frame (6-7 242)

·         Mobile for his size

·         Quick release for his size

·         Huge arm

·         Can make all the throws

·         Above average deep accuracy

·         Productive in 2011 with mediocre supporting cast (63.2%, 7.8 YPA, 26:13 TD:INT)

·         Poised in the pocket

·         Succeeded in spite of offensive line (28 sacks last season)

·         Impressive footwork for an inexperienced quarterback

·         A ton of developmental talent

·         Pro style experience

·         Signature win against USC

Negatives

·         Only 16 starts

·         6-7 record as a junior, including 5 straight losses to end season

·         Quit on a crumbling program by leaving early?

·         Leadership?

·         Still raw

·         Still needs work on accuracy, footwork, decision making

·         Never had elite production

·         A bit inconsistent in 2011

NFL Comparison: Joe Flacco/Philip Rivers

Osweiler is similar to both Flacco and Rivers in that he is a big quarterback with a great arm. I think as an NFL player, he’ll be inferior to Rivers and superior to Flacco, who is still a bit of a question mark heading into year 5. He’s actually taller than both Flacco and Rivers and while he doesn’t quite have Flacco’s arm strength (few do), he’s got a quicker and more fluid release than both Rivers and Flacco and he’s more athletic.

On the field this season, he always stood out to me even though I was never spotlighting him. I was very impressed with his poise, his arm strength, and his deep accuracy, in addition to his surprisingly quick delivery, his surprisingly smooth footwork, and his surprising athleticism. He looked like an NFL quarterback out there running a Pro Style offense and frequently made beautiful throws on 15-18+ yard routes. Outside of Robert Griffin, I wasn’t impressed with anyone’s deep throwing ability more than I was with Osweiler.

I had him on my watch list to be a high 1^st round pick in 2013, but he made a surprise declare as a junior with a mere 16 career starts. That decision was a head scratching one and brought up questions about his leadership and maturity. It appeared as if he was quitting on a crumbling Arizona State program that was rampant with immaturity (not just Vontaze Burfict) and lost 5 straight to end the season. Once a Pac-12 south favorite, especially after a big win over USC, Arizona State finished 6-7 and fired their Head Coach.

Had Osweiler returned for his senior season with a better coaching staff and with some of the bad apples on the team, and added another 13 starts of experience, improved on some things (accuracy, footwork, decision making, leadership), improved on his statistical production, and his win-loss record, he would have been able to distance himself from Arizona State’s rough 2011 season. There would be fewer questions about his maturity, experience and he probably would have been less raw. In that case, he probably would have gotten a high to mid first round grade from me (and I don’t give those often).

However, since he didn’t do that, I have a borderline first round grade on him. That’s still higher than most, but it’s not as high as it could be. He can affect his stock with a good (or bad) Pro Day in a few days. How he performs on his Pro Day could be the difference between the 2^nd and 3^rd/4^th round for him. I think there’s enough developmental talent that I would use a 2^nd rounder on him. I think he’s a more polished prospect than Ryan Tannehill or Brandon Weeden (even before you consider his age).

The Buccaneers went 10-6 in 2010 and almost made the playoffs. However, after LeGarrette Blount took over as the starting running back week 7, and added a new dimension to their offense, rushing for 5 yards per carry out of the backfield, they didn’t lose by more than a touchdown for the rest of the season, hanging within a touchdown of the Falcons twice, and the Ravens.

From week 7 on, Josh Freeman went 197 for 315 for 2408 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He got even better late going 78 for 109 for 1009 yards, 9 touchdowns, and no interceptions in his final 4 games. The Buccaneers beat the Saints in a legitimate week 17 game in New Orleans. They did all this despite missing Pro Bowl safety Tanard Jackson from week 3 on, 2010 2^nd round pick Brian Price from week 6 on, rookie 3^rd overall pick Gerald McCoy from week 15 on, talented rookie safety Cody Grimm from week 13 on, and #1 cornerback Aqib Talib from week 14 on. All of those players are expected to be back this season.

They also drafted well, adding 3 front 7 starters at positions of need in Adrian Clayborn, Da’Quan Bowers, and Mason Foster. It’s for these reasons that many people have this as a sleeper Super Bowl contender. However, I do not have them as a Super Bowl contender or even a playoff team.

That New Orleans game week 17 was their only win against a .500+ team. They went 1-5 against .500+ teams last year. They had a ridiculously easy schedule last year and they won’t have that luxury this season. They play 7 games against playoff teams from last season (Indianapolis, Green Bay, Chicago, New Orleans twice, Atlanta twice). They also play 3 teams that could easily be .500+ teams this season, Dallas, Houston, and Detroit. They’re going to be a Super Bowl contender at some point in the next couple years, but I think they’re about a year away and could easily have a sophomore slump. I think they’re still the 3^rd best team in their division. New Orleans and Atlanta are both very, very good football teams.

Their biggest area of question is their secondary. Aqib Talib won’t be cut following a felony arrest in the offseason, but he could be suspended, even before he case goes to trial in March. Tanard Jackson is a very talented safety when he’s in the lineup, but he’s currently serving a calendar year long suspension. He is expected to be reinstated week 3, but there are no guarantees that he will actually be reinstated (it wouldn’t be the first time Roger Goddell has decided not to reinstate someone). There are also no guarantees he stayed in shape during his suspension. He hasn’t been able to work out with his team and a year is a long time.

The other 2 starters in the secondary are cornerback Ronde Barber and safety Cody Grimm. Grimm, a linebacker in college, was extremely impressive as a mere 7^th round rookie last year, before getting hurt. Meanwhile, Ronde was decent last year, but he’s 36 years old so a steep decline could be on the way. If he does decline, 2010 3^rd round pick Myron Lewis could step into the lineup. At strong safety, until Jackson can return, Sean Jones will be the starter. He’s not very good at all.

At linebacker, the Buccaneers have two decent players in Quincy Black and Geno Hayes. I really like backup linebacker Dekoda Watson. He’s a great fit for their defense and I had a 3^rd round grade on him coming out in 2010. He fell to the 7^th round, but played well in limited action as a rookie. He could find himself in the starting lineup before the season is over, though considering the Buccaneers just gave Black a ridiculous 5 year 29 million dollar deal, I find it hard to believe that he’d be the one who gets benched.

At the middle, Tyrone McKenzie is currently penciled in as the starter, but I fully expect 3^rd round rookie Mason Foster to become the starter sooner rather than later. McKenzie hasn’t played much in 2 years in the league and I really just don’t see him as a starting caliber player. Foster will be hurt by the lockout, but he’s their best option at the position. He has nice upside.

On the defensive line, they are very young. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was the 3^rd overall pick in 2010 while defensive end Adrian Clayborn was the 20^th overall pick in 2011. Left end Da’Quan Bowers is a 2^nd round pick rookie, while Brian Price at defensive tackle was a 2^nd rounder in 2010. Price, however, is currently not in the lineup in favor of the mediocre Roy Miller. Price reportedly showed up to camp out of shape after surgery last season. He’ll have to earn his starting job back. Overall, even though they are young and hurt by the lockout, they should have more than the 26 sacks they had in 2010.

Offensively, Josh Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, and Mike Williams might be the best young QB/RB/WR trio in the league. Blount should get even more carries this season than he did in 11 starts last season. Gone is Cadillac Williams, their only legitimate backup from last year. Earnest Graham will play clear passing downs, but that’s it. He’s not a very talented player. They have next to nothing on the depth chart behind Blount and Graham. Their #2 back is Kregg Lumpkin, who has 2 career carries. Their #3 back is 6^th round rookie Allen Bradford. Their #4 back is Armando Allen, an undrafted rookie.

Freeman won’t just have Mike Williams to throw to. Arrelious Benn, a 2^nd round pick in 2010, is still their #2 receiver. He should be better in his 2^nd year after a disappointing rookie year. Kellen Winslow is a talented starting tight end when he’s healthy and they drafted Luke Stocker in the 4^th round to be a blocker. Winslow is a terrible run blocker. We should see more 2 tight end sets from them this season.

On the offensive line, they return all 5 starters, good for continuity’s sake, but that might not be the best thing overall. Jeremy Trueblood, a mediocre talent, is once again the starting right tackle. He could be beaten out by James Lee, another mediocre talent, who finished last year as the starter after Trueblood was benched. The Buccaneers resigned Davin Joseph, but way overpaid him, giving him Jahri Evans type money. He struggled last year and is coming off major surgery as well.

Left tackle Donald Penn is a decent player, but he allowed 6 sacks and 36 quarterback pressures last season. Young Ted Larsen took over as a left guard last season, but he isn’t great either. Meanwhile, center Jeff Faine is injury prone and coming off major surgery. They only allowed 30 sacks as a team last year, but this is not a great offensive line. Josh Freeman makes it look better than it is. They also aren’t a great running blocking line either.

As I said earlier, this team is a year away. They have a lot of young talent. It seems like every starter is young and talented, but they’re not quite on the level of Atlanta and New Orleans and I don’t think they get a wild card spot in the playoffs this season. Their schedule is extremely tough, they don’t have a lot of experience playing with a bull’s-eye on their back, and they didn’t do that well against good teams last season.

Quarterback: B+

Running backs: B+

Receiving corps: B-

Offensive line: C+

Run defense: C+

Pass rush: B-

Pass coverage: C+

Coaching: B+

Projection: 9-7 3^rd in NFC South

This season started off just like any other in the Norv Turner era. They started 2-5 only to win 4 straight, putting themselves right back in the AFC West race. Even after a bad 15 point home loss to the Raiders, they weren’t out of it, winning back-to-back games and stomping division leading Kansas City 31-0 week 14.

They looked ready to make another late season comeback to win the division. But then something happened. They didn’t finish. They didn’t show up week 16 in a 34-20 loss to the lowly Bengals, eliminating themselves and allowing Kansas City to win the division. It’s like they got so overconfident in their ability to suck in the beginning and finish strong that they forgot to actually put in the effort to finish strong.

They finished the year 9-7, in 2^nd place in the division. Their record ruined Philip Rivers’ MVP case despite Rivers’ amazing stats, 66% completion, 8.7 yards per attempt, 30 touchdowns to 13 picks and a 101.8 QB rating. Had this team made the playoffs, his name would be in there with Brady’s and Vick’s for MVP.

So many of their losses were winnable games if it wasn’t for stupid mistakes, especially on special teams, at the wrong time. Norv Turner should have been fired. They haven’t started a season well in his tenure there and he failed to take easily one of the top 5 most talented teams in the league to the playoffs this year. In fact, this team actually ranked 1^st in yardage defense and offense, and still finished 9-7.

However, Norv Turner will be brought back for financial reasons. This team is too cheap to be paying two coaches at once. Fortunately for them, the Chiefs were exposed as the biggest frauds of the year week 17 and in the playoffs, and the Raiders have been in a bit of disarray since the season ended so if they can get things together, this has to be the favorite in 2011. They just can’t continue to lose so many winnable games.

I love this deal. Chris Myers is one of the two best centers in the league so long as he stays in Houston’s scheme (no guarantees outside of it). ProFootballFocus had him ranked as their #1 center last season, #3 in 2010, #8 in 2009, and #12 in 2008. He’s worth more to them than anyone else and having lost both Mike Brisiel and Eric Winston, they absolutely had to resign Myers. Considering what the inferior Scott Wells (ProFootballFocus’ #4 center) got (4 years, 24 million, 13 million guaranteed), Chris Myers’ 4 year, 25 million dollar deal with 14 million guaranteed is very fair.

Grade: A

OT Bruce Campbell UP

The 6-6 314 pound left tackle just ran a 4.78. In all honesty, this barely moves him up in my book, but after running a 4.78, measuring in with 36 inch arms, jumping 38 inches, and benching 225 pounds 34 times, Campbell has been the star of the combine. He should buy his house in Oakland now because I know somewhere Al Davis just shit his diaper.

OT Trent Williams UP

Again, speed doesn’t mean much for offensive tackles, but his 4.82 40 at 6-5 315 shows his athleticism. I think he could still drop because of lack of a true position, but the athleticism and upside is there for him to be a left tackle in this league. 

NT Terrence Cody UP

Cody weighed in at 370 at his Senior Bowl weigh in after promising he’d be at 355 and his stock lowered. Cody weighed in at 354 today at the combine. He still needs to lose some weight, but I think I can move him back up a little after dropping him following the Senior Bowl. If you’ve ever seen this guy play, he might be the most agile 354 pound man you’ve ever seen. 

TE Nate Byham DOWN

Yesterday, Byham impressed by weighing it at 268 pounds and making him the best run blocking tight end in my eyes, but today he ran like an offensive lineman with a 40 time of 4.97. That’s not good.

WR Dorin Dickerson UP

The biggest question Dickerson has to answer is what is his position. He can produce on the field, but he’s played everything from fullback to linebacker to tight end (where he was an All-American) to wide receiver. After measuring in at 226 pounds he proved too small for the first 3 positions, but after running a 4.40 40 with 34 inch arms and benching 225 pounds 24 times, I think he could be a fairly decent wide receiver in the NFL. A 4.40 40 at 6-1 226 with that kind of strength makes him a very interesting wide receiver option for teams in the mid to late rounds.

TE Jermaine Gresham DOWN

After his 4.76 40, questions about the health of his knee have resurfaced. That’s the last thing Gresham wants to happen at this point. 4.76 isn’t awful, but he was expected to run at least .1 to .15 seconds faster so this is a bit concerning.

DE/RLB Jermaine Cunningham UP

As if he wasn’t already my favorite mid round sleeper, Cunningham measured in at 266 pounds today showing that he has the ability to play in the trenches in any 4-3 scheme. This defensive end class gets thin in the mid rounds so Cunningham could be looking at early 3^rd late 2^nd now.

DE Greg Hardy DOWN

He looked out of shape weighing in at 281 pounds, 20 more than expected. The injuries issues were already there in large part. The last thing he needed was concerns about his work ethic and character.

DE/RLB Jason Pierre Paul UP

Weighing in at 6-5 270, JPP looked like an absolute physical freak. I can’t wait until his 40 yard dash. He hasn’t performed on a high level yet, but the upside is certainly there.

RLB/DE Lindsey Witten DOWN

After weighing in at 250, he may just be a nickel rusher in the NFL. I was expecting 260-265 so this is disappointing.

RLB/OLB O’Brien Schofield DOWN

Completely out of game shape after tearing his ACL. He weighed in at 221 pounds. He’ll find it hard to be drafted, though I do have some hope for him to catch on in the NFL somewhere as a rush linebacker or outside linebacker once he’s 100%.

OT Jared Veldheer- Hillsdale UP

Did not disappoint athletically running a 5.09 40, for what it matters since he’s an offensive tackle. He is one of the more intriguing small school kids and has really shown his athleticism and skills in workouts and drills this week.

WR Mike Williams– Syracuse DOWN

Quit on the Syracuse football team in November and, as if that weren’t bad enough, he came to the combine really out of shape, putting on about 15 pounds of fat from the end of last season and only benching 225 pounds 8 times.

TE Jimmy Graham- Miami UP

He’s only played football for one year, but Graham is the real deal athletically and showed that with a 4.56 40 at 6-6 260 and a 38 inch vertical.

TE Clay Harbor- Missouri State UP

A small school kid who I had never heard of before this week, but he was very productive last year against small school competition and has quietly had an amazing workout with a 4.69 40 at 6-3 252, 30 reps of 225 pounds, and a 40 inch vertical. The only bad thing was short arms, 32 5/8, but he could be an interesting option in the 5^th round range.

G Marshall Newhouse- TCU UP

After the Raiders take Bruce Campbell in the first, they could look at Newhouse in a later round. Newhouse just ran a 5.00 at 6-4 319.

OLB Navarro Bowman- Penn State UP

Expected to weigh in at 228 pounds, Bowman weighed 242 and appears to have bulked up in a good way since the end of last season. If this doesn’t effect his 40 time, this will help him because it increases his scheme versatility.

OLB Rennie Curran– Georgia UP

Expected to weigh in at 225 pounds, Curran weighed 235 and appears to have bulked up in a good way since the end of last season. If this doesn’t effect his 40 time, this will help him because it increases his scheme versatility. Hey wait, didn’t I just say something just like that.

TE Dennis Pitta– BYU UP

Not necessarily known as an elite as rather a guy with good hands, Pitta benched 225 pounds 27 times, 2nd most among tight ends, and ran a 4.63 40. 

RB/WR Dexter McCluster– Mississippi UP

How do you bench 20 reps of 225 pounds when you are a mere 173 pounds? That is crazy! This little guy may be small, but he is tough, he is strong, he is committed, and he is damn fast as well. 

A month ago the Saints looked possibly screwed. Marques Colston and Carl Nicks were free agents and the team was far apart in negotiations with Drew Brees. They also had the looming penalty coming down for BountyGate. However, a month later, they might actually be getting an upgrade at coach. I know Sean Payton has a ring, but he’s an offensive coach and Brees has pretty much got that side of the ball taken care of himself. Parcells would greatly help their defense, even at 71 years old.

They resigned Colston to a steal of a deal in an offseason where Pierre Garcon, Laurent Robinson, and Robert Meachem were highly overpaid. They lost Carl Nicks, but they signed the only slightly inferior Ben Grubbs to replace him. They signed Brodrick Bunkley to fill their biggest need at defensive tackle and now they have filled their 2^nd biggest need at linebacker by stealing one of their divisional rivals’ best defensive players for a reasonable deal, 5 years, 33.5 million.

Aside from Nicks, who they replaced, only Tracy Porter was their biggest loss this offseason and Drew Brees and the team look like they’ll get a deal done before the season. They did all this without having to cut Jonathan Vilma or any other key players from 2011. How the hell are they doing this? Weren’t they supposed to be backed up against the cap?

Grade: A

By Trey Huguley 

 People stop freaking out. Yes, it stinks to be losing DeMeco Ryans for the season, but it isn’t the end of the world.  In case you missed it somehow, at the end of the first half Ryans fall down without contact as he tore his Achilles tendon; a terrible injury that can keep a player out for months and can even threaten careers.

Granted, Ryans is the leader of the defense and makes a lot of big plays, but there a number of reasons why it won’t be detrimental to the team or the outcome of our season to play with out him.

1.) Pollard Becomes the Leader – Pollard has been a second leader on the defense and a strong voice that has been waiting on an opportunity to lead his team. He is an animated guy with the ability to fire up his teammates and keep them fired up to make big hits and big plays (despite his poor coverage ability). With Ryans out, Pollard become the defense’s leader by default and will be a damn good one.  It’s not that Ryans doesn’t fire up the defense, he just does it in a different way. Due to Pollard’s explosive influence, there is a chance we will see a more fired up defense who will want to win in DeMeco’s name.

2.) Darryl Sharpton is Great – In pre-season, rookie middle linebacker Darryl Sharpton stepped up and made some BIG TIME plays. He may be young, but the kid out of Miami is fast, good sized and smart. Is he ready to be a starting NFL linebacker? I’m not sure, but he is certainly capable and talented enough to be a big part of the defense and help pick up the slack in Ryans’ absence. If he can get over his nagging ankle issues, Sharpton should be a viable substitution while Ryans is out.

3.) Spark the Other Players – While definitely not a good thing, maybe this injury is something that has been needed to spark the rest of the defense and get them playing up to their potential. Knowing he is out, may get stuck in the heads of Williams, Cushing and the rest of the defense and give them subconscious reason to step up and make big plays since Ryans won’t be able to.  

4.) Can the Defense Get Worse? – I’ll go out on a limb here and say that I don’t know if the defense can get any worse. This injury will shake things up a little, get other guys playing better, give new guys an opportunity to show what they have and give the Texans pathetic defense a little bit of inspiration.

Luckily (if you can use that word), this injury happened right before the bye week, giving the Texans two weeks to figure out what the plan in spending the rest of the season without Ryans. They still need to figure out what in the hell they are going to do about their secondary too, so there should be a lot of attention on the defense over the bye.

http://www.houstonsportblog.com/

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The Dolphins had an opportunity to contend for a playoff spot. All they had to do was send a 3^rd rounder to Denver for Kyle Orton. Orton isn’t a great quarterback or anything, but this team has a good defense and they fixed the running game and offensive line in the offseason so all he’d have to do is not turn the ball over, something Chad Henne can’t manage, and this team could win 9-10 games. Instead, they settled for Henne.

That would have made some sense if they were convinced the 2008 2^nd round pick still had potential, but they don’t seem to be convinced of that. They brought in Matt Moore to compete for the starting job and even have been linked to Brett Favre. Moore, a former undrafted free agent, has never proven to be anything other than a solid backup in his career. Favre, meanwhile, is done and would do nothing except sell tickets for them.

Henne has a nice supporting cast around him. Brandon Marshall is a legitimate #1 receiver. Brian Hartline is an okay #2 and Davone Bess is one of the league’s most underrated players in the slot. Rookie 4^th rounder Edmond Gates has some upside, but he’ll be hurt by the lockout. He could become a factor later in the season, however. Tight end Anthony Fasano is a marginal player.

They fixed the running game. Gone are Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown and in are Reggie Bush and rookie 2^nd rounder Daniel Thomas, who complement each other well. Thomas, a bigger, more powerful back, is a rookie, but won’t be hurt by the lockout as much as other rookies because of his position. He’ll struggle with route running and pass protection, but Bush will be the 3^rd down back so he won’t be counted on to do a lot of that right away. Meanwhile, Bush was a disappointment in New Orleans, but might have just needed a change of scenery. He also needs to stay healthy. Overall, I like their running back situation better than I did last year, especially with the addition of Mike Pouncey at center.

Pouncey will be hurt by the lockout as a rookie, but should still be a fine starting center for this team and a punishing run blocker. The offensive line was a major problem last year, aside from Jake Long. However, Vernon Carey has moved inside to guard with Marc Colombo coming over from Dallas to play right tackle. If he can stay healthy, he still can contribute to this team. If not, I suspect Carey moves outside and 2010 3^rd round pick John Jerry takes over at right guard. Richie Incognito is the other starter on the offensive front. He is a decent offensive lineman. After Long, it’s arguable he was their best offensive lineman last year.

However, their offense will still be stagnant until Chad Henne can figure out how to lead a drive and not turn the ball over. He’s going into his 3^rd year as a starter so he probably has a short leash, and rightfully so. The Dolphins ranked 30^th in the league in scoring last year with Henne at the helm. Unfortunately, if he gets benched, Matt Moore would start. Moore has never proved himself to be anything more than a former undrafted free agent turned backup so I don’t have high expectations for him, and thus, I don’t have high expectations for this offensive unit as a whole.

Their defensive unit is a different story. They have one of the deepest defensive lines in the league with 2010 1^st round pick Jared Odrick coming back from injury. In Odrick’s absence, Randy Starks, who was training to be the starting nose tackle, moved back outside. Paul Solial flourished as the starting nose tackle, helping the Dolphins rank 4^th against the run.

This year, Odrick is expected to start at end, with Solial in the middle. However, that displaces Randy Starks, a solid starter in his own right who hasn’t done anything to merit losing his starting job. Odrick would start opposite Kendall Langford, an extremely talented young player. They also have talented reserves Tony McDaniel and Phillip Merling in the mix. It’s no wonder they tried to trade Randy Starks in any potential Kyle Orton deal.

As for their pass rush, it starts and ends with Cameron Wake. Wake had 14 sacks last year, his first full year as a starter. Koa Misi was 2^nd on the team with 4.5, but the 2010 2^nd round pick faded down the stretch. The Dolphins even considering finding a new rush linebacker this offseason and moving Misi inside next to Karlos Dansby. If even they aren’t high on Misi’s upside as a pass rusher, I don’t have high hopes for him.

They didn’t move Misi inside, instead deciding to sign Kevin Burnett, one of the league’s most underrated players. It’s crazy that Burnett got less money in his contract than Clint Session and Quincy Black. Burnett lines up next to, of course, Karlos Dansby. Dansby was paid like one of the best middle linebackers in the league before last season and rightfully so. He is one of the best middle linebackers in the league.

At cornerback, the duo of Sean Smith and Vontae Davis has been together since they were rookies and they’ve gotten better each year. Now in their 3^rd seasons, they should be a very solid duo. However, their depth behind them is pitiful. Benny Sapp, formerly a solid nickel in Minnesota, sucked last year in that same role in Miami. They had to sign Al Harris midseason. That’s how bad it was. Sapp is listed as the nickel back as of right now so they better hope he becomes what they expected him to be after they traded for him from Minnesota.

Meanwhile, at safety Yeremiah Bell is solid, but Chris Clemons at free safety was responsible for several blown coverages last year. 2010 5^th round pick Reshad Jones has yet to take Clemons’ spot in the lineup which isn’t a good sign for Jones’ development. I’m really surprised the Dolphins didn’t address either the nickel back position or the free safety position through the draft.

The Dolphins won 7 games in 2010 despite scoring the 3^rd fewest points in the league. Having a good defense helps, but if they rank 30^th in points, or thereabouts, again their record will probably be worse. You just can’t contend in this league unless your quarterback can lead drives and theirs can’t. They went 3-6 down the stretch last season, including 1-4 in their last 5. They had a point differential of -60, which suggests they got lucky with a few wins and really played like a 5-6 win team.

Quarterback: D

Running backs: C+

Receiving corps: B-

Offensive line: C+

Run defense: A

Pass rush: C+

Pass coverage: B-

Coaching: C

Projection: 5-11 4^th in AFC East

Free Agency Priorities

Offensive Tackle